Feels like it was always meant to be difficult – Ime Udoka after Boston Celtics qualify for NBA Finals

It has been a grueling season for Boston Celtics and everything they have achieved hasn’t been served on a platter to them. They have had to work hard for their success and the players have come up with a collective effort. As a result, here there are into the NBA finals after beating Miami Heat by 100-96 in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were brilliant for the Celtics and they once again delivered for the team. Tatum top-scored with 26 points while shooting 9-21.

“Feels like it was always meant to be this way,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “Difficult.”

This will be Celtics’ first NBA finals in the last 12 years. Meanwhile, Celtics players had their hearts in their mouths after Jimmy Bulter was attempting a shot that could have given a lead to Miami Heat.

“When he shot that, I was like, ‘Man, what the hell,'” said Brown, who finished with 24 points in 43 minutes.

“Not again,” said Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who had 24 points in 40 minutes himself. “Man, Jimmy has been playing well, so when he pulled up, it was kind of like, ‘Oh, man. Just hope he doesn’t make it.'”

Jaylen Brown feels the credit for the team’s win goes to the collective effort as the side has come up with consistent performances amid all the difficulties.

“That’s us,” Brown said. “We’ve been responding all year, all season, to adversity. Today was the biggest test, not just of the year but of our careers, to mentally come into a Game 7 away after losing on our home court, which was tough, and we got it done.”

Udoka gave credit to the team’s potent defense for their success so far.

“Defense is our identity,” Udoka said. “It’s been there and held us — got us through the tough times when the offense wasn’t clicking, games when the offense doesn’t click to the level it should, we can always rely on that, and that was the case tonight.

“Got big leads, dwindled it down, and we continued to get stops when we needed to, especially at the end.”

The first game of the NBA finals between Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics will be played at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Thursday.